Here’s the video version of the recent post on the “driverless” Amish buggy incident in New York. If you missed that one, you can read it here. In the video I elaborate on some thoughts from that post, and share some footage from the WWNY news report. I did this video in a bit different style than the norm. It’s mainly me talking to you…
This news is sparse, but it’s being reported that an Amish school burned to the ground in Kentucky last night. Via wkdzradio.com: An Amish school on Fentress Lane was destroyed in a fire late Wednesday night. Herndon firefighters say the building was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived just after 11 p.m. No one was injured in the fire and the cause was unknown….
In this video, I answer some questions on the Amish and dating (or “courting”, though that’s not quite the same thing), thanks to info from Karen Johnson-Weiner’s book The Lives of Amish Women. I share a couple of excerpts from the book, which provide answers to the following: Can Amish girls ask boys out for dates? What do Amish feel is the purpose of courtship?…
This is maybe the most commonly-asked question I’ve gotten in the weeks following the February 3 train derailment and chemical spill and burn in East Palestine, Ohio. This is is an area right on the border with Pennsylvania. There are a number of Amish communities in the region. Within the greater overall concern for the residents of the region, a number of people have been wondering…
A tragic van rollover accident in Iowa two weeks ago claimed the lives of young Amish father Ervin Borntreger, his one-year-old son, and two of his also very young nieces. Remarkably, the Amish community has allowed the Dyersville Commercial newspaper to publish an account of the funeral and even some photos. This article is noteworthy in that it gives us one of the closest looks…
Amish in Unity, Maine recently completed their yearly harvest of ice. This ice is to be used in their ice houses for cooling throughout the coming year. Harvesting ice from local ponds is a common practice among the plainest Amish, though the Amish in this community don’t exactly fit the conventional definition of “plainest”. From the report at centralmaine.com: UNITY — A group of 30…
Another year comes to a close. I hope yours was a good one. I’ll finish up 2022 with what I usually do – a look back at some favorite posts of the soon-to-conclude year. “Favorite” means well-commented or just generally liked by you (or me). I’ve listed these in no particular order, other than chronologically. And, one piece of news: I have been working for…
A potentially grim story with a happy ending in a Wisconsin Amish community. From WKOW: GRANT COUNTY (WKOW) — An Amish baby who was missing for two hours in Grant County Friday was found safe thanks to the help of a Good Samaritan. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office was first notified about the missing baby in Hickory Grove Township around 10:30 a.m. Sheriff Nate Dreckman…
This happened in the Geauga County Amish settlement, which is notorious for its wild youth and parties. The boy who lost his life early Sunday morning was 17-year-old Mark Slabaugh. It is described as an “Amish party” attended by around 200 people in this video report by WFMJ. Though he’s not identified as such anywhere that I can found, Slabaugh is a common Amish last…
Disturbing story from Northwest Pennsylvania. Based on the description of where it happened, I would guess this is the Spartansburg community in Crawford County. This report is from the Meadville Tribune: ROME TOWNSHIP — Pennsylvania State Police at Corry want the public’s help in finding two men involved in pointing a pistol at a teenage girl last week. The incident took place along Fish Flats…